Spinning of cotton yarn



Dec. 17, 1946. B. 1. WHITTIER VETAL 2,412,641

srnmme OF Cowsron YARN Filed May 29, 1944 I Patented Dec. r 7

UNIT-ED s'rh'ras PATENT orrics srmivnrc or COTTON rm Bcniamin L. Whittier, Burton; and Willis E.- Johnson. Baltimore, Md, assignors to Mt. Vernon-Woodberry Mills, Inc., Baltimore, Md. I

Application May 29,1944. Serial No. 537.912

1 21 Claims.

This invention relates to the spinning of cotton yarns, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for wet spinning of cotton fibers to produce a yarn of increased strength and improved appearance. r

Yarn may be defined as a twisted strand of fibers which has received its final attenuation and is produced today almost exclusively by ring spinning. A great variety of yarns are spun, each having its own characteristics of strength, flexibility, etc., depending upon the purpose for which the yarn is to be used. In the production of all yarns, however, three major factors are considered, usually in the following order: Flrst,' strength which is required in all yarns; second, the appearance of the yarn: and

third. the efllciency of the spinning operation.

It is well known that the strength of the yarn is not dependent so much upon the strength of the cotton fibers but primarily upon the amount and degree of intereng ement of these fibers-in the yarn. Cotton fibers have a natural cohesive quality which is a factor in the ability of these fibers to spin. Because of this cohesive quality, obviously the greater the amount ofsurface engagement between two adjoining fibers the greater the force necessary to draw them.

- apart. This isclearly shown by the fact that a stronger yarn is producedirom the long staple cotton than oneproduced from a shorter staple cotton of equal fiber strength.

Long staple cotton, however, is expensive and therefore not used in the manufacture of ygarns except for special purposes and to obtain yarn of maximum strength from the shorter staple lengths care is taken to first arrange all of the fibers parallel to one another and twist them together in this condition. 7

While the drawing rolls of a ring spinnin frame straighten and arrange the fibers parallel to each other in the drawn strand, and this condition maintains as long as the fibers are gripped by the drawing rolls, the machine does not provide for controlling the fibers after they have left the front drawing rolls and before they are i G into the yarn. Asa result many of the fiber ends and often appreciable portions of their length are not laid into the twist but protrude outwardly from the yarn and thereby preclude obtaining the potential strength of the yarn.

Besides reducing the potential strength of the y, failure of the fiber ends to be laid into the twist also detracts from the appearance ofthe yarn. While appearance is of secondary importance inyarns for some purposes, a good it lustrous surface.

- 2 appearance is always deslrable and is of gre importance in yarns such as are used in the production of high quality threads and many types of fabrics which must present a smooth The strength of the yarn, particularly the strength of the strand being twisted into the yarn, is also [amaterial factor in the efliciency of the spinning operation. Breaks in the strand almost invariably occur just forward of the front drawing roll before the fibers are sufliciently "twisted into the strand to give it strength.

' when a break occurs it is necessary for the operator to Join together the broken ends before 15 the spinning operation can be continued. This not only decreases the output of the machine per unit time but also increases the labor necessary to operate the machine. Under normal operating conditions it is customary to allow 20 from 5% to 10% in calculating the efiiciency-of a spinning frame because of the stops necessary 7 to tie broken ends. Also when a break occurs.

the roving continues to be drawnthrough the rolls and waste accumulates until the operator 25 is able to repair the broken end.

Then too, lack of control of the fibers from the time when they are released from the nip oi the drawing rolls until they are twisted into .the yarn produces an abundance of lint and fly likewise serves to lower the operating efliciency of the spinningframe;

It has been proposed to overcome the above defects of cotton spinning by spinning the yarn with the-fibers in a wetted condition to increase the cohesion between fibers'to maintain their considered.

Drawing rolls, by means of which a ro is reduced to the required size for the yarn. are arranged in pairs-usually three-operating at successively increasing surface speeds from the 5% back to. the rmnt rolls. The roving is passed which accumulates in and about the machine and which must be periodically removed. This The defect of such a system, however, 1 I

i of cotton fibers between these sets of rolls, a slowly revolving set gripping and feeding the fibers to a faster moving set which g ip the more advanced fibers and draw them away from those still gripped by the slower moving rolls. In this way the original fiber mass of the roving is drawn out into a new strand of reduced diameter. In the more modern form of standard draft system, where the middle rolls are unweighted or light weighted, and in long draft systems which provide a draft zone considerably in excess of the fiber length, free relative movement of the fibers must be allowed to prevent breaking or bunching which would produce a non-uniform strand. It

can therefore readily be seen that if the rovingwere drawn wet, as proposed, the strong cohesion between fibers would inhibit the necessary uniform slip and the desired uniform arrangement of fibers could not result.

It is therefore one of the principal objects of this invention to provide a system of spinning which will not only produce a yarn of improved appearance, but will produce a yarn of increased strength without the sacrifice of flexibility and by increasing the strength of the yarn to thereby increase the efilciency of the spinning operation. Another object of this invention is to provide an improved method of spinning cotton yarn in a ring spinning frame whereby the roving is drawn in a dry condition and the twist imparted to the drawn strand while the strand is wet.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for spinning cotton yarns in which substantially the entire length of all of the fibers composing the yarn are twisted thereinto.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for the wet spinning of cotton yarns in a ring spinning frame in which moisture is applied to the strand of fibers as it passes between the front drawing rolls of the frame.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a method of spinning cotton yarns in a ring spinning frame which materially increases the strength of the drawn strand and thereby increases the operating efilciency of the spinning machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cotton yarn in which the full length fibers composing the same are entirely twisted into the 4 ing, there is shown one means for carrying the invention into practical effect. In Figure 1 there is somewhat diagrammatically illustrated a long draft frame which is supported on the roll beam l of a ring spinning frame. The drawing frame comprises essentially a roll stand 2 which supports three sets of drawing rolls, namely back rolls, 3, middle rolls 4 and front rolls 5. The lower rolls 3b, 4b, and 5b are journalled in the stand proper while the cooperating upper rolls la, la and 5a are journalled in, and held in contact with the bottom rolls by means of a cap bar 8. The bottom rolls are geared together b gears (not shown) having a ratio to impart to the rolls yarn to thereby increase the strength and ima of existing spinning frames.

To accomplish these and other important oblects and advantages the invention consists in the procedural steps and the parts and combinations hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawing which is referred to in the following specification and is employed to illustrate one means for carrying the invention into practical effect:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a portion of a ring spinning frame with apparatus associated therewith applying moisture to a drawn strand in accordance with this invention; and

Figure 2 is a sectional view. partly broken away, taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawsuccessively increasing surface speeds from the back to the front rolls. r

Carried over the middle lower roll lb is a transport apron I which passes forwardly over a nose bar 8 positioned immediately behind the front bottom roll 5b, thence downwardly and rearwardly over an idle sheave 9 carried by pivoted supporting arms III. This apron 1 is driven by the middle rolls and serves to transport the fibers from the middle to the front rolls. the fibers being controlled by the loose nip between the apron and a small control roll ll, carried by a special cap bar, between the middle and front upper rolls.

The upper rolls are smooth surfaced. usually being covered with leather or a suitable composition material having sufiicient friction property to provide the necessary grip for the fibers. The lower back and front rolls lb and 5b are longitudinally fluted. In the standard frame an additional nap-covered scavenger roll is journalled in the forward end of arms l2, pivoted to the stand 2 in a manner to contact the bottom front roll 5b, contact being maintained by spring i3 tensioned between the rear ends of the arms l2 and the stand 2. The purpose of this scavenger roll is to take up the broken end of a strand when a break occurs.

The roving is brought downwardly from the roving creel (not shown) and passed through a throat it secured to the roll stand just behind the back rolls 3 and aligned with the nip of these rolls. From the throat I the end of the roving is fed between the drawing rolls. As the roving is fed forwardly by a slow moving set of rolls to a faster moving set, the fibers will be drawn. out longitudinally to one another, straightened and arranged into a smaller strand in the form of a ribbon of parallel fibers having very little tensile strength. This strand is led through a thread guide It, supported by the roll beam i. From the the spinning ring it which is mounted on the ring rail I I of the machine and thence to a bobbin l8 mounted on. and for rotation with, a spindle l8. The spindle rotates rapidly about an axis aligned directly below the eye of the guide l5 and imparts a rotation to one end of the fiber strand while the opposite end is held against rotation by the grip of the front drawing rolls 5a and lb. Thus a twist is imparted to the strand which progresses up the strand from the ring to the rolls in and 6b and spirally intertwines the fiber; and strengthens the yarn. At the same time the yarn is wound on the bobbin.

As above set forth,-the fibers will be arranged in parallelism by the drawing operation and will maintain this condition while controlled by the drawing rolls. From the time that they emerge from the front rolls, however, until they are because of air currents, static conditions which are present around all operating machines, and

, other reasons, the fiber ends will tend to fiy away propose to moisten the fibers at the back nip of the front rolls'Sa and b to obtain an increased coherence between the fibers and assure their complete interengagement while being twisted into the yarn and yet in no way interfere with the normal drawing operation. 7

One means for carrying the invention into efiectis shown in the drawing and comprises a semi-cylindrical trough-shaped tank which is preferably secured between the arms 12 which normally support the scavenger roll of the drawing frame.

Extending longitudinally of the tank 20 and ioumalled in the scavenger roll bearings 2| is a shaft 22 which carries a plurality of dlsmlike rollers 23, one for each boss 24 of the lower front rolls 512. As in the case of the scavenger roll, the

' springs i3 will urgethe rollers into contact with and be rotated by the front bottom rolls 5b. Preferably the rollers 23 are positioned on their shaft to engage the front rolls adjacent one end of the bosses Hand are designed with a narrow "peripheral surface to give a small surface contact with the roll. While the scavenger roll supporting arms I2 provide a convenient support for the tank 20 and journals for the roller shaft 2i, other suitable points of attachment may be employed.

Within the tank 20 is a body of liquid 25 which will be carried up by the revolving rollers dipping thereinto, and transferred onto the bosses 24 of the rolls 5b. The liquid will be deposited onto the ends of the'roll bosses and will spread in a substantially thin film over the surface, aided by the fiutings of the roll. .As the drawn cotton strand passes over the moistened roll, and since the strand passes between. the rolls in a thin ribbon,

all of the fibers will become moistened.

It has been found advantageous in many wet treatments of cotton threads and fabrics toemploy a solution of a wetting agent as the wettin liquid and it is within the concept of this invention to use, as the liquid 25, an aqueous. solution of a suitable wetting agent to aid spreading the liquid evenly over the roll bosses and fibers and to effect a better penetration of the drawn strand. The concentration of the solution will of course depend upon the condition of the cotton and the wetting agent used-and may vary from about .5%'to as high as a 3% concentration.

It is highly important that the cotton fibers be thoroughly and completely moistened to attain the desired result. but it is equally important that the yarn as wound on the bobbin not contain an excess of water which might cause the yarn to mildew during storage. By this invention an optimum wetting is' obtained and it has been found that the whirling action of the yarn balloon, between the thread guide and spindle, will dry the yarn to just a slightly damp condition approximately the condition desired for "settin8 the twist into the yarn.

In the above connection newly spun yarns tend tiotn, however, such difficulties and treatments be produced by the present methods, but subsequent operations wiil'be made more simple. This invention actually produces a greater yardage per unit weight of roving by virtue of the fact that the whole fiber length is actually utilized to impart strength'to the yarn and therefore, less fibers are needed to produce a given strength.

The precise procedural steps of v the process herein described and the parts and combinations of the apparatus shown and described for carrying the process into practical effect are disclosed. by way of illustration only of a preferred embo'dlment of the invention and it must be understood that varlous changes may be made therein by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims. 1

We claim:

1. A method of spinning cotton yarns comprising drawing a roving strand to reduce the same to required yarn size, wetting the drawn strand at the end of the drawing butprior to twisting, and

then twisting the wetted strand to form the yarn.

2. A method of spinning cotton yarns comprising drawing a roving strand to reduce the same to required yarn size, wetting the drawn strand with an aqueous solution of a wetting agent at the end of the drawing but prior to twisting, and then twisting the wetted strand to form the yarn.

3. A method of spinning cotton yarns comprising drawing a roving strand to reduce the same A to required yarn size, wetting the drawn strand with an aqueous solution containing from .5% to 3% of 'a wetting agent at the end of the drawing but prior to twisting. and then twisting the wetted strand to form the yarn.

' in contact with a wetted surface, and then twisting the strand to form the yarn.

6. A method of spinning cotton yarns comprising drawing a roving strand to reduce the same tov required yarn size, applying an aqueous solution of a wetting agent toa surface, passing the drawn strand at the end of the drawing but prior to twisting over the wetted surface, and then twisting the strand to form the yarn.

7. A method of spinning cotton yarns comprise ing arranging cotton fibers into a strand thereof to untwist. snarl and kink when'tension on them is released. This condition sometimes is objectionable and may result in defects during the subsequent operations. In some instances yarn is subjected to a rest per! to set the twist requiring special equipment which is expensive-- tooperate and maintain. Furthermore, the proceas is time-consuming. By means of this invenwherein the fibers lie parallel one with the other,

applying moisture to the fibers to eflecigcohesion therebetween and the end of the drawing but prior to twisting, and then imparting-atwist to the strand of cohering fibers to form a yarn whereby substantially the entire lengths of said fibers are laid into the twist of the yarn.

a. In a spinning frame having a plurality of pairs of drawing rolls for progressively reducing roving to a required size strand of fibers prior to spinning the same into yarn, a reservoir containing a liquid, and means for transferring liquid from the reservoir to the front drawing rolls 7 for wetting the strand as said strand passes between the front drawing rolls.

9. In a spinning frame having a plurality of pairs of drawing rolls for progressively reducing roving to a required size strand of fibers prior to spinning the same into yarn, a reservoir containing a liquid positioned adjacent the front pair of drawing rolls, and means for transferring liquid from the reservoir to one of the pair of front drawing rolls for wetting the strand as said strand passes between the front drawing rolls.

10. In a spinning frame having a plurality of pairs of drawing rolls for progressively reducing roving to a required size strand of fibers prior to spinning the same into yarn, one roll of said pairs being fluted, a reservoir containing a liquid positioned adjacent the front pair of drawing rolls, and means for transferring liquid from the reservoir to the fluted roll of the front pair of drawing rolls for wetting the strand as said strand passes between the front drawing rolls.

11. In a spinning frame havinga plurality of pairs of drawing rolls for progressively reducing roving to a required size strand of fibers prior to spinning the same into yarn, a reservoir con.- taining a liquid positioned adjacent the front pair of drawing rolls, and a roller member partially immersed in said liquid, said roller member being adapted to peripherally engage the lower of the front pair of drawing rolls for transferring liquid from the reservoir to said roll to thereby 8 roving to a required size strand of fibers prior to spinning the same into yarn, one roll of said pairs being fluted, a reservoir containing a liquid positioned adjacent the front pair of drawing rolls, a rotatable disc member partially immersed in the liquid and peripherally engaging the fluted roll of the front pair of drawing rolls adjacent one end thereof for transferring liquid from the reservoir wet the strand passing between said front pair of drawing rolls.

12. In a spinning frame having a plurality of pairs of drawing rolls for progressively reducing roving to a. required size strand of fibers prior'to spinning the same into yarn, a reservoir containing a liquid positioned adjacent the front pair of drawing rolls, a roller member partially iminersed in said liquid, said roller member being adapted to peripherally engage the lower of the front pair of drawing rolls for transferring liquid from the reservoir .to said roll to thereby wet the strand passing between said front pair of drawing rolls, and resilient means urging the roller memher into engagement with the said lower roll.

13. In a spinning frame having a plurality of pairs of drawing rolls for progressively reducing roving to a required size strand of fibers prior to spinning the same into yarn, one roll of said pairs being fluted, a reservoir containing a liquid positioned adjacent the front pair of drawing rolls, a rotatable disc member partially immersedain the liquid and peripherally engaging the fluted roll of the front pair of drawing rolls for transferring liquid from the reservoir to the fluted roll to thereby wet the strand as said strand passes between the front pair of drawing rolls.

14. In a spinning frame having a plurality of pairs of drawing rolls for progressively reducing to the fluted roll to thereby wet the strand as said strand passes between the front pair of drawing rolls.

15. A method oi. spinning cotton yarns in a ring spinning frame comprising applying a liquid to the front drawing rolls of said frame whereby a, drawn strand will become wetted during passage between said rolls, and twisting the strand into yarn while in the wetted condition.

16. A method of spinning cotton yarns in a ring spinning frame comprising continuously transferring liquid in small quantities from a source thereof to the lower front drawing roll of said frame whereby a drawn strand will become wetted during passage between said rolls, and twisting the strand into yarn while in the wetted condition.

17. A method of spinning cotton yams in a ring spinning frame comprising applying an aqueous solution of a wetting agent to the front drawing rolls of said frame whereby a drawn strand will become wetted during passage between said rolls, and twisting the strand into yarn while in the wetted condition. 18. In a method of spinning cotton yarns which comprises drawing a cottonroving to reduce the same to required yarn size inthe form of a ribbon of parallel fibers and then twisting ribbon to form -the yarn, the step of wetting the ribbon at the end of the drawing but prior to twisting.

19. A method of spinning yarns comprising drawing a roving strand to reduce the same to required yarn size, wetting the drawn strand at the end of the drawing but prior to twisting, and then twisting the wetted strand to formthe yarn.

20. A method of spinning yarns comprising arranging fibers into a strand thereof wherein the fibers lie parallel one with the other, applying moisture to the fibers to effect cohesion therebetween at the end of the drawing but prior to twisting, and then imparting a twist to the strand of cohering fibers to form a yarn whereby substantially the entire lengths of said fibers are laid into the twist of the yarn.

21. A method of spinning yarns in a ring spinning frame comprising applying a liquid'to the front drawing rolls of said frame whereby a drawn strand will become wetted during passage between said rolls, and twisting the strand into yarn while in the wetted condition.

BENJAMIN L. WHI'I'IIER. WILLIS E. JOHNSON. 

